


To The Point

by dusty_violet, IzumiLover



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Acupuncture, Acupuncturist Castiel, Alternate Universe, Gen, Near Future, Nocturnal Tumescence, Not Canon Compliant, Receptionist Claire Novak, Retired Hunter Dean Winchester, Skeptical Dean Winchester, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Trigger Warning: Needles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-03 12:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5291186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dusty_violet/pseuds/dusty_violet, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IzumiLover/pseuds/IzumiLover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a hunter, Dean Winchester knows he has defied the odds by surviving to the ripe old age of fifty-two. The reward for his hard work? A beat-up, tired, aching body; a veteran's body. When the usual treatments fail to adequately relieve his arthritis pain, his brother suggests he try something a little more outside the box: acupuncture. Dean's skeptical - it sounds a little too much like witchcraft or voodoo for his liking - but if the acupuncturist can make the ache go away, well, he's willing to give it a shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As you are probably aware, acupuncture uses needles. I will make mention of this in the story. If you are severely needle-phobic and cannot stand even the mention of it, please leave now for your own sake. I will not be describing the process in extreme detail; however, I don't want to trigger anyone. If you're still reading, enjoy!

The thunderous rumble of the antique Impala engine died down as Dean turned the ignition to the off position. Here he was, in the gravel parking lot of the Oriental Healing Center.

Why was he here? It took a good deal of convincing to get him here at all. In the end, the pain won: the constant, relentless pain which was his reward for spending his adolescence and young adulthood in service of humanity. Ibuprofen and naproxen couldn't dull the sensations left behind from years of beheading vampires or stabbing demons with angel blades. Physical therapy didn't ease the soreness and swelling that lingered from all the salt-and-burn heroics he and his brother had pulled off in their physical prime. In fact, it was his brother Sam who suggested he consider alternative medicine. Dean dismissed the idea immediately - wrote it off as touchy-feely quack bullshit - but the ever-present achiness in his joints finally changed his mind.

His knees complained as he exited his faithful old car and made his way up the steps and into the building. The waiting area smelled vaguely of flowers and herbs he couldn't name. One of those decorative fountains was on a side table in the opposite corner, water trickling gently over the rock formations. A bronze gong was hanging on the adjacent wall; could the decor be any more stereotypical? It looked like a Chinese restaurant in there.

The receptionist was a blonde teen whose face made it very obvious she did not want to be here. She didn't even look up from her phone when the door creaked loudly shut behind him.

Dean cleared his throat. "Hi, I'm here for-"

"The next appointment, yeah," she interrupted. "Are you Winchester?"

" _Dean_ Winchester," he corrected. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

She sighed impatiently. "My step-dad is making me take college classes online." She pressed three buttons on the office phone and put the handset to her ear. "Your next guy is here... Yeah, Winchester... Okay, I'll tell him." She hung up the phone, finally making eye contact with Dean. "He's ready for you. He'll be here in a minute. You can sit if you want."

Dean chose to remain standing to save his knees the trouble of getting back up again. It wasn't long until a dark-haired gentleman peered out into the reception area from behind the door.

"Mr. Winchester? I'm Castiel Novak. Shall we begin?" He held the door open and gestured for Dean to follow him inside.

The hunter didn't budge. He looked the man up and down before blurting out, "you're not Chinese!"

Castiel chuckled. "No, I suppose I'm not. Will that be a problem?"

"No, I just, uh..." he backtracked. "I was expecting someone, um, Asian, I guess? I didn't know white guys knew how to do this stuff."

"Don't worry, I'm a fully licensed white guy," he joked. "I actually studied 'this stuff' in China for several years." _  
_

Dean shrugged. "Okay." With nothing to lose, he followed the other man through the door and into the treatment room. 

The space was airy, with high ceilings and tall windows letting natural light stream in discreetly through thick curtains. Framed anatomical posters adorned the walls, key structures labeled in both English and Chinese. The far corner of the room was accented by a bamboo plant in a reproduction of a Qing dynasty vase.

"Please have a seat on the table, Mr. Winchester," Castiel instructed.

"You can call me Dean," he replied, wincing as he climbed up. "What do I call you? You're not a doctor, are you?"

"No, I'm not a medical doctor. You could just use my name," he proposed. "Castiel is fine."

"Nice to meet you, Cas," Dean said, holding out his hand. 

Cas shook it. "It's nice to meet you too, Dean. I'd like to start with some questions for you. What brings you here today?" he asked.

"This old body is all worn out," the hunter joked. "I got sore knees, an achin' back, stiff shoulders... The pain pills just don't work as well as they used to." He sighed. "My brother Sam, he told me I should try this out."

The other man nodded. "I'm glad you took your brother's advice. Acupuncture therapy can be highly beneficial for pain relief in particular, but it works on a variety of other conditions as well. Can you tell me a bit about your medical history? Do you have any conditions, or any family history of health issues?"

"Well, I got arthritis in just about all my joints," Dean began, "and I'm on medicine for high blood pressure. Can't give up those cheeseburgers, ya know?" His face lit up at the mention of his favorite meal. "Mom died in a house fire when I was a little kid, so I don't really know about her side of the family. Dad's gone now too. Car wreck."

"I'm truly sorry to hear that," Cas replied. "Was your father in good health before he passed?"

"I guess so, yeah," Dean answered. "Same aches and pains as me. He drank a lot, too."

"What about you? Do you drink, smoke, or use other drugs?"

"I appreciate whiskey now and then," he smirked. "When I was younger, I probably appreciated it a bit too much, if you know what I mean."

Cas smiled knowingly. "Nothing else?" Dean shook his head no. "Alright. I have some more questions for you; they might not make a lot of sense to you, but in traditional Chinese medicine, everything is connected. Have you had any fever or chills recently?"

"No."

"Do you sweat frequently?"

"When it's hot out, yeah."

"Any night sweats, or sweating in your palms?"

"Nah."

"Good," Castiel affirmed. "Now, can you tell me if you've had any headaches lately?"

"Sometimes, when I'm tired."

"How about dizziness?"

"Nope."

"Anything unusual going on with your eyes or ears?"

"Don't think so."

"Okay, let's talk about your pain next," Cas continued. "Do you use a heating pad to help with the discomfort?"

"Not anymore," Dean replied. "It didn't really do much."

"Is it dull or sharp?"

"It's like a constant, dull ache."

"And how are your bowel movements?"

Dean's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"

Cas grinned apologetically. "Like I said, everything's connected."

"It's fine, I guess?"

"Wonderful. How about your urine?"

"Do you get a kick out of this?" the hunter retorted.

Castiel chuckled, dodging the question. "Light or dark color? Any pain or blood?"

"Uh, medium? And no."

"Okay, moving on. Do you feel hungry or thirsty?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I can always eat," he replied.

"Are you craving anything now? Salt or sugar perhaps?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I could go for a nice, fat burrito."

"I'll put that down as salt," Cas informed him. "Now, tell me about your sleeping habits, Dean."

The hunter considered his answer. "Most nights I get, maybe, five hours or so."

"Are you a sound sleeper, or do you wake during the night?"

"Oh, once I'm out, I'm out!"

"Do you have frequent nightmares?"

"Sometimes," Dean admitted. "I've seen some things, though."

"Of course," Castiel said reassuringly. "That would be expected." He paused to change the subject. "We're just about done with the questions. Do you have any chest pain or abdominal pain?"

"Nah. Well, sometimes I get acid reflux. But that's my own fault for eating too much chili, right?" Dean quipped.

Cas grinned in reply and shook his head fondly. "Alright, Dean. I'd like to take a look at your tongue next."

The hunter cocked a single eyebrow. "For what?"

"In Chinese medicine, we use the tongue as an indicator of what is happening inside you, since it is the only muscle that can be observed outside of the body," he explained.

"Huh. Okay." Dean shrugged and stuck his tongue out as far as it would go.

Castiel produced a small flashlight and examined his patient's tongue. It was a nice dark pink, bordering on red in color, with a thin whitish coating on the surface. "Thank you," he stated, allowing Dean to draw his tongue back in.

"Now I'd like to feel the pulses in your wrists," Cas announced. 

"What will _that_ tell you?" the hunter inquired. 

"We use pulse-taking a bit differently than in Western medicine," the other man began. "I'm not so much interested in the rate; rather, the feel of it it believed to give lots of information about the state of the various organs in the body." He extended his hand for Dean's arm. "May I start with your left wrist?"

He placed his wrist in Castiel's grasp, allowing him to place his fingers against the radial artery. One by one, his three fingers assessed the feel of the throbbing below - first with light pressure; then pushing down deep, nearly to the bone; and lastly, with intermediate pressure. Cas took his time; this was an art, not an exact science.

"How does it feel?" Dean asked, curious.

Cas looked up. "Your pulse is steady and even - it's got a nice rhythm. It feels full and long, but a little bit tight." He glanced back down at his patient's wrist and shifted one of his fingers lightly from side to side. "No, not tight, wiry. And it just ticked up a bit faster. Am I making you uncomfortable?"

The most vivid blue eyes caught the hunter's, and he felt his heart skip embarrassingly. "No, you're fine. I'm just not used to this much, uh..."

"Scrutiny?" Cas suggested. 

Dean shrugged. "I didn't know how much went into all of this. I thought some little old Asian dude was gonna turn me into his personal pin cushion, and that would be it."

"It must seem like a lot, yes. This process will help me determine which meridians to access so I can restore the flow of your qi and improve your condition," Castiel explained. He released the hunter's arm, and pointed towards his other one. "Could I see your right wrist, now, please?"

Dean allowed Cas to wrap his fingers around his other arm, and the older man began the process of feeling his pulses again. 

"What does wiry even mean?" the hunter asked, interrupting Castiel's concentration.

He hummed, deep in thought. "The best I can explain it, translating from Chinese, is that your artery feels similar to a guitar string."

"Cool," Dean replied quickly, reminded of his love for classic rock. "Wait, is that good or bad?"

"Well, it suggests an imbalance between your liver and gall bladder. But I can work on that for you," Cas promised.

"I came in with arthritis pain, and you're saying there's something wrong with my gall bladder?" the hunter queried confusedly.

Castiel smiled gently. "No, your  _physical_ gall bladder is fine. What it means is that the qi in your liver meridian and gall bladder meridian are not balanced."

"Oh." He rubbed his abdomen protectively. "That's a relief."

"Just relax, Dean; you're fine." The pulse beneath his fingertips gradually settled back into its normal, calm pace. Finally, he released the hunter's wrist. "Okay, I have an idea where I would like to begin for today. I would like to treat you in eight different points to help restore the energy flow in your body. It will take probably four to six sessions for you to experience the full effect of the acupuncture, but you should notice some improvement fairly soon." He chuckled lightly. "At the very least, you should leave today feeling quite relaxed."

The hunter nodded his head. "Okay. So, um, how do we do this?"

"I'll have you recline on this table," Castiel gestured, and Dean lay down. "Is that comfortable for you?"

He fidgeted for a moment before becoming still, finally nodding his head yes. "And I just lie here and let you do all the work?"

Cas smiled. "Precisely." He rubbed hand sanitizer between his palms and opened a cabinet door, removing a package of individually wrapped, sterile acupuncture needles and a stack of disinfecting alcohol wipes. "Each of the needles I will use on you are clean and for single use only. I will clean the spot on your skin before inserting each needle, to protect you from infection." To demonstrate, he opened an alcohol wipe and swabbed a patch of skin on Dean's inner left wrist, immediately below his palm. 

Dean watched attentively as Cas opened the packet containing the first needle. "Am I gonna feel that when it goes in?" he asked.

"You don't have any issues with needles, do you?" Castiel responded immediately, concern creasing his brow.

"No, I've got a tattoo," the hunter replied. "I can take a little pain."

Cas seemed relieved. "You may feel it, or you may not. Some patients notice a little discomfort. But this is a much smaller needle than the ones used to draw blood or give injections, so I think you'll be fine." To prove his point, he tapped the first needle into Dean's wrist. 

"Was that all?" he asked. "I've had bee stings worse than that!"

Castiel nodded. "You may feel other sensations such as aching as the qi moves around your body in response to the adjustment, but in the long run, acupuncture is for pain relief, not inflicting pain." He glanced down at Dean. "Now, hush! That needle is supposed to be calming your mind."

_Sorry_ , he mouthed. 

"You may close your eyes if you like," Cas continued. "It's also not uncommon for patients to become so relaxed that they fall asleep during treatment. If you do, that's completely acceptable." 

Dean nodded and allowed his eyelids to fall shut, exhaling deeply.

"The next few points are on your foot and lower leg," Castiel announced. "I'm just going to slide your pant leg up to your knee, alright?" He heard a grunted confirmation, so he continued. He tore open another alcohol wipe and cleaned a spot on the inner right ankle, on the top of the round protrusion of the ankle bone. The wrapper on the next needle ripped easily, and he gently inserted it into place. There was another clean swab on the inside of his right leg, about a quarter of the way up to his knee, followed by the next needle.

"How does that feel, Dean?" he asked.

"Mmmm."

"Good. I've just tonified your Yin."

"Hmmm?"

Cas merely smiled. "I hope you're not ticklish. The next one's going in your foot." Dean's toes curled and flexed, but he didn't complain. Castiel moved to his patient's other side and wiped down the top of his left foot, about two inches back from the base of his big toe. The needle penetrated without even a flinch. "That should begin to harmonize your liver," he narrated.

"I'm going to begin tonifying your qi now," Castiel added. His hands went back to Dean's right knee, and he sanitized the area just below his patella in order to insert another needle in the fleshy area next to the top of his tibia bone. "This should also help eliminate cold from your system, which will be good for your arthritis pain, swelling, and joint stiffness."

Dean seemed like he had fallen asleep, so Cas continued his work. Gently grasping the hem of his patient's shirt, he uncovered the bottom third of the hunter's torso to access the next site, about an inch and a half below his navel. The sensitive flesh quivered nearly imperceptibly when Castiel cleaned it with an alcohol wipe. The needle went in a moment later. It bobbed gently up and down in time with Dean's slow, even breaths like a buoy on the ocean. The final needle went into his left forearm below the elbow joint, where it would help promote circulation of blood and qi and relieve pain.

The next portion of the treatment involved leaving the needles in position for several minutes to obtain the maximum benefit. So, Cas allowed Dean to rest. His eyes traveled over the sleeping man's body, retracing the path of where he positioned each needle, like stars connected in a constellation.  His gaze drifted aimlessly over the slumbering form until it caught on Dean's massive, straining erection.

_Holy crap! How long as that been there?!_ He blanched.  _I mean, it's probably been there his whole life - obviously - but not **up** like  **that**! How could be possibly be relaxed like that?_  

Cas pondered for a moment, and decided how to address the matter. There were several acupuncture points one could use to treat a priaprism, so why not attempt to bring down a normally aroused penis with just one or two of them?

Deliberately avoiding visual contact with Dean's crotch, Castiel sanitized the flat, pinky side of his patient's left hand and inserted one needle just below the level of the base of the thumb. Cas then ruched up the hunter's shirt farther, exposing the skin at the bottom of the rib cage, wiping an area above the liver on the right, and expertly placing a needle. He waited tensely, choosing to observe the soothing motion of Dean's breath instead of watching for his cock to soften. The needles seemed to do the job in a few minutes, and Castiel let out a thunderous exhale of relief when he found the problem had resolved itself.

His sigh woke Dean.

The hunter went to rub his eyes sleepily when he found Cas' hands on his arms, gently guiding them back down.

"Careful, Dean, you'll poke your eye out," he cautioned. "You've still got needles in your hands and arms," he explained to his perplexed-looking patient. 

As Dean became more and more alert, he took a mental inventory of his body, as hunters often do. "There's ten," he observed. "You said eight. Why are there ten?"

"Just lie still and relax, and I'll get these out for you, alright?" Castiel evaded.

"But why are there ten?" Dean persisted, growing agitated.

A blush crept across Cas' cheekbones. 

"Did you do some kinky shit to me while I was sleeping?" the hunter demanded.

"No! God, no! Of course not!" Cas denied. "I was only trying to help-"

"With what?"

"With your nocturnal tumescence."

Dean scrunched his brow. "Excuse me?"

Castiel glanced down. "You, um... well, you became aroused while you were asleep, so... I took care of it. With the extra needles!" he added quickly. 

"Oh," the hunter mumbled apologetically. "Well, uh, it looks like they worked, so I guess you can take them out now."

"Right," Cas recovered. "How do you feel? How's your pain?"

"Feels pretty good," Dean replied. "That was a nice little siesta." He rolled his shoulders.

"Good," Castiel confirmed. "Alright, I'm going to take these out gently, one at a time, to check for bleeding, okay?"

"Is that normal?"

"It depends. It's not abnormal." The needles in Dean's legs and feet came out easily, followed by the two in his abdomen. The needle in his elbow caused a small quantity of blood to well up when it was removed, so Cas applied gentle pressure with a sterile gauze pad until it formed a clot. The rest of the needles in the hunter's arm came out cleanly and were deposited safely into a sharp waste container.

"Alright Dean, now let's have you sit up nice and slowly," Castiel coached. "You've been lying down for a while; we wouldn't want you to stand up and get dizzy."

He eased back up into a sitting position, finally swinging his legs over the side of the table. "Huh. My knees didn't crack." He flexed one experimentally. "Nope, nothin'."

"Excellent, you're already seeing an improvement. I've converted another skeptic!" Cas handed Dean his business card, which was stapled to an acupuncture pamphlet. "So, you'll come back?"

Dean grinned. "Sure, why not?" He shook Castiel's hand. "Thanks, Cas."

"You're very welcome," he replied.  He escorted the hunter back to the reception area, where the young blonde woman still seemed rather annoyed with life in general. 

"Same time next week?" she deadpanned.

"Claire, please set Dean up with appointments for the next three weeks. I'll reevaluate then," Castiel instructed. "See you next time," he waved, and disappeared behind the door.

Cas heard the front door close and finally allowed his guard to drop. There was something about that last patient which had him on edge, but not in a bad way. He found himself intrigued, surprisingly so. What was it about this stubborn yet curious, hardened yet sensitive man? With luck, he would uncover those secrets when the hunter returned in a week for further treatment. Oh yes, this new patient definitely required a more in-depth examination, and Castiel would be sure to give it to him.


	2. Illustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art provided by Izzy at it-started-with-yellow-fever.tumblr.com


End file.
